


The Christmas Calender

by Kare



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Happy Ending, I am super late for this, here be christmas fluff, just checking some old writing stuff, just getting this out there, maybe? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 15:00:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14107881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kare/pseuds/Kare
Summary: Steve has to leave before he can put Buckys Christmas Calender together... He finds a way around this





	The Christmas Calender

**Author's Note:**

> I know I am super late for this. But well... just cleaning my hard drive. And if I don't post this now it might as well be lost to the ages... Hope you enjoy anyway...

The holiday season is always a horrible time of the year. Partly because, try as he might, Steve never really gets to stay at home and get to enjoy it.

 

And yes, by now he considers the tower to be his home. He has Bucky back after all.

 

Only in a platonic kind of sense, but alive, breathing and interacting with people. Things are brilliant.

 

So Steve did the Steve thing.

 

Of course he got his best guy a Christmas calendar.

 

Not some store brought junk.

 

No, a real, self made Christmas calender.

 

Well... in theory.

 

He still has to fill all the little surprises into paper houses which he also brought for the occasion.

 

And just when he was about to do that - okay, the morning of the first of December might be a little late for that - he gets called away for another mission.

 

Steve knows that this is his life now.

 

He still sometimes wishes it was different.

 

So he asks Jarvis to record his voice instead and to play said recording to Mister Barnes, once the other wakes from his much deserved rest.

 

 

 

When Bucky finally wakes - 10 a.m. is a perfectly reasonable time if you have nothing to do - he does notice the absence of the others. Mainly because it is too damn quiet.

 

He does not even have to leave his room to check.

 

Some days he wishes that Steve would inform him before leaving. It would probably make things even harder. But one never knows whether or not it might be someones last mission and...

 

Bucky tries to be cheerful. Most of all by staying in bed for another two hours, trying to sleep, but mainly starring at the wall of his room.

 

When he finally does make it out, Jarvis decides to talk to him before Bucky even had his first coffee.

 

He knows that the concept of Coffee is completely lost on the A.I. - partly because of the A.I. part, mainly it has no detectable effect on Mister Stark any longer and is therefore probably useless anyway - but Bucky is still tempted to have this argument yet again. Just for the hell of it. Jarvis usually doesn't mind. Or at least he is not programmed to hold grudges - which is probably related to Mister Stark, too.

 

The fact that Jarvis also has a recording of Steve's voice makes it ever so slightly more bearable. Even before the first coffee.

 

"Hey Buck. Sorry, another mission came up. Should not be long. But you know how they are. No one can ever promise. Anyway, I didn't have time to put your Christmas calendar up yet. Pity I won't get to see your face. From what I gathered you still have a pretty prominent sweet tooth. So I will just tell you were to find your daily fix. You know that cupboard in my room that I regularly stub my toe on but never really use? Yeah, because it's the not so secret anymore present stash. The things in the upper half are for other people. But the lower half is all yours. The green plastic bag is for the sixth of December, by which time I will hopefully have long since returned. And the red thing is for Christmas. We both know you will have a peek. I would appreciate it if you don't, but well... You're going to deny it anyway. So there is that. As for the rest: I wanted to put one of those things into your calendar every day. Just try what you like. I'll see how much will still be there by the time I am back, right? Right. Well, see you soon."

 

Bucky had to smile despite himself. The affection in Steve's voice was hard to miss. And while Bucky had not even started Christmas shopping yet - let along thought about what he wanted to get people / or, more importantly, what he could afford for them - Steve was already handing out presents.

 

Sweets. Steve had promised sweets.

 

Bucky made himself a double espresso - if that stuff did nothing it could at least do a lot of nothing - and choose a more or less direct route to Steve's room.

 

Bucky knew, in theory, that he was allowed in there. They used to live together in what basically counted as a shoe box. Barely big enough for a bed, a couch, a mini kitchen and a bed. Stark Tower still felt... enormous. Like he had to walk three blocks to get anywhere. Which might be just a little bit exaggerated. But still...

 

His hand still stilled on the handle.

 

It somehow still felt wrong without Steve being there.

 

He had spoken permission. Meaning not even Jarvis would stop or chide him, but...

 

Bucky was practicing the art of turning his brain off and just doing something.

 

He just pushed and entered anyway.

 

And tried very much not to focus on the fact that this place smelled like Steve... and home.

 

For a moment Bucky had the urge to just hole up in here and wait Steve out. He had said he would not be long.

 

But Steve had send him here on a mission. And Bucky would at least have a look.

 

It was more of a after thought to grab one of the pillows of the couch and take it along as Bucky made his way to the infamous cupboard. It was a small thing, Not even 2 meters long and one meter high and Bucky tried to pretend he was opening something important as he sat down in front of it and...

 

Bucky had the very sudden urge to call Steve a liar.

 

He was not sure when the other had found the time to get new ballet shows for Nat or a World Of Warcraft Gift Card - Buck was guessing either Sam or that Parker kid - not to mention flavored green tee, mead or a strange box with a single switch on it... but... those sweets... where had Steve intended to do with all of that again?

 

Wonka Fun Dips, Gobstoppers, fudge, pop rocks, M&Ms, Reese's Butter Cups, Hershey's, Butterfingers, Snickers, Milk Duds, Jelly Beans, Skittles, Appleheads, Kool-Aid, Twizzlers, Tootsie Rolls, BabyRuth bars, Laffy Taffys, Junior Mints, Pop-Tarts, Hubba Bubba, Milky Way, Oh Henrys, Wonderbars, Air Heads, Moon Pie, Fudge Brownie Cookie Dough, WhatChaMaCallIt, fruits gums, licorice, Sherbet Fruits...

 

For half of this stuff Bucky could not even say when he had tried it the last time... or if at all...

 

Much less seen all of that in one place and...

 

Bucky could feel his right hand sweating.

 

He hated choices.

 

Pick one.

 

One.

 

Okay, it was Steve. He would also tolerate two.

 

Well, that wuss would tolerate most of anything.

 

But pick one.

 

One.

 

Which one?

 

And all of that before breakfast. Hm... breakfast. There were three different brands of Pop-Tarts alone. Bucky took a cinnamon one... and a frosted mocha one. Just because he knew that Steve would let him get away with that.

 

And then he went to get breakfast.

 

By the time the sugar finally kicked in... he remembered, that he had not even seen the two bags Steve had been talking about.

 

Something Bucky was currently trying to ignore. He was having breakfast after all.

 

He also kinda wondered why he had gone back to the communal kitchen when he might as well have used the toaster in Steve's kitchen...

 

...

 

Which sounded like pretty solid reasoning.

 

Steve had not strictly said that Bucky was only allowed one per day. He had said that he had planned it like that. And that he did not really believe that this would happen now and...

 

"Jarvis?"

 

"Yes, sir?"

 

"Can you already tell when they will be back?"

 

"Negative."

 

So Bucky, his breakfast, a blanket and two books simply migrated to Steve's couch.

 

And, okay, he also unearthed some fruit gums that were shaped like cola bottles from Steve's stash. They migrated right along Bucky.

 

It took him half of the bag of sweets and three unsuccessful trips to the sugar stash to remember that eating just was no fun without Steve around.

 

A lot of things were no fun without Steve.

 

He did not even feel like checking for the present bags Steve had talked about.

 

Which was decidedly unfair.

 

But well... it could not be helped right now.

 

He was half tempted to ask Jarvis again. But it would like not do either. What kind of news where three to be expected within 15 minutes?

 

Only the bad kind...

 

So Bucky slept.

 

Because it was the least stressful way to pass the time when you can't get a handle on your options... or just don't want to make a decision at all.

 

Which might be what Bucky was doing.

 

He knew he would need to push himself to be more active the next few days. But right now he really just wanted to hole up.

 

And for a change it actually helped.

 

Well, if one counts sleeping a good 20 hours.

 

Bucky had... a decidedly funky feel in his mouth by the time he woke back up. Realizing almost immediately, that he probably woke because he could hear Steve opening the front door.

 

His mind had yet to fully kick back in.

 

So Bucky found himself falling of the couch and landing on his knees before the door was even entirely opened.

 

Steve undoubtedly heard the low thud.

 

And he sounded decidedly chipper. Too chipper for what ever kind of time it was.

 

"Mooorrrrning!!!"

 

Steve really sounded way too chipper.

 

But not for long.

 

Of course Steve recognized Bucky's rigid stance and a position that no normal person outside of Hydra ever would willingly enter. Not for any amount of time, really.

 

And it would take a different day to work out just when and how Steve had worked out that "Did you do anything that would legitimately upset me or can we just skip that part and shower?" counted as a sensible greeting...

 

They did shower.

 

Steve did put up the calendar within the next two hours, probably throwing dices to figure out just what was supposed to go where.

 

And Bucky had the next few days to curse himself that he had not looked for the bags Steve had mentioned... not that he was in any way impatient.

 

Somewhere during the whole grumbling Bucky also figured out that Steve would be completely fine with Bucky baking cookies for Christmas.

 

Which was reasonably low demand for Bucky to manage without any kind of existential crisis.

 

Bucky grumbled some more, because it sure as hell was not Steve's fault that the cookies kept disappearing left and right and Bucky had to make a new batch five different times...

 

A normal Christmas, so to speak...


End file.
